Anyone cut the cable completely?

[dmm5157]

This has been intruiging me for a few yrs now, but its so damn easy to get everything in one auto payment ($180ish per month hbo/show including 75 meg internet), then again Id love to stick it to the man.

How much has your internet increased since cutting the cable? Any data caps?

If I could get cable + internet reliably for $180 after taxes then I would.

Before cord cutting, bill had grown from $150/mo to $210/mo.

Right now we pay $100 for internet, $75 for PS Vue. $175 total after taxes. $35/mo savings.

When we move, will consider the new cable options in the area and decide at that time if we want to keep our setup or switch back to cable.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

10-4. Didnt known it would be that close $ wise. Not worth the hassle of keeping up with multiple devices and platforms. Appletv, netflix, and amazon compliment my cable well enough. Spectrum (formerly brighthouse) has been pretty damn reliable and their new on demand is fantastic.

 

[bigloum]

Going to dump my Sling TV and switch to one of these other ones. Waffling back and forth on which one. PS Vue would be the no brainer, but this new situation where DVR content defaults to VOD with commercials is pretty disappointing, because it sounds like that's the standard for all the other services. That would have been a solid differentiation.

Also, to get the regional sports nets, the Vue subscription is a full $10 more.

On the other hand, Vue is more mature, and I like the idea of having an app on the screen rather than totally casting.

Turns out the DVR thing was a glitch. It's been fixed.

 

[NoleGrad83]

Vue just added a regional sports package that is NBC based plus NFL Redzone in one package. It adds $10/month.

Not sure if someone mentioned that but its worth bringing up.

 

[Nole Lou]

Turns out the DVR thing was a glitch. It's been fixed.

That's cool. Let's hope that sticks. It appears that for every other service, IF what you DVR is in the VOD library, your "recording" reverts to the VOD version. And that means you can't skip commercials. It sure sounded like Vue was making that change because it's industry consistent...maybe they got a lot of pushback and it's now a "glitch." But glad to hear, and hope it sticks.

So last night, I decided to take a spin and give Hulu with Live TV a try.

Disadvantages: No AMC.

Interface doesn't use an EPG grid...it's all content based. It's a bit disoriented at first, but there's an elegance to it, especially considering that access to Hulu's considerable content inventory is included. I think it's the kind of thing you either get used to, or you don't, but it it seems stable and well designed enough that I'm willing to give it a try. The Sling App and interface was a total sh-- show, so I'm open to another approach. Also, no Android TV app yet, so while one room runs it on the XBox app (and well), in my main room I'm casting for the time being.

Also currently 30fps, 60fps is promised soon.

Advantages: Included is regular Hulu's huge library of TV shows and movies. At $40, it's $5 cheaper than Vue for the level with regional sports channels.

Also, there's kind of an interesting twist that is complicated, but I like. If a show is in the regular Hulu library, you can pay $4 more and it's commercial free. This does NOT apply to VOD that is NOT part of standard Hulu, but is included with Hulu With TV. So the way that works is this...let's take American Ninja Warriors:

Regular Hulu only has the latest episode of ANW every week. I could get that with a regular Hulu subscription. So if I add it to my shows, after it runs, it will be in "My Stuff". Rather than be a DVR recording, it will revert to the Hulu instance, and because I pay for commercial free, it will run without commercial interruption. However, on Hulu With Live TV, unlike regular Hulu, ALL episodes of ANW are available. If I go back and play one of those VOD, unskippable commercials.

So the way it breaks down...
DVR something that isn't in the Hulu standard or Hulu with TV library: Can FF commercials
DVR something that is in the Hulu standard library: No commercials at all
DVR something that is not in the Hulu standard library, but is in the enhanced With Live TV VOD library: Can't FF commercials

So, with my viewing habits, compared to Sling or Youtube TV (DirectTv doesn't have a DVR yet), I think this will have me dealing with much fewer commercials. Vue is potentially better vis a vis commercials, however, if you can continue to FF commercials on EVERYTHING you DVR (if that remains a fixed glitch).

So, assuming the whole thing is stable, I'm just going to play out how my viewing habits end up. If most of my viewing ends up being able to FF commercials or commercial free, I might stay with it. I do like some of the content available on Hulu, both their original programming and some of their movies occasionally. I don't mind occasionally having to watch commercials, if I also frequently get to watch 100% commercial free. But if I end up watching more commercials than suits me, I'll strongly consider VUE if you can continue to FF commercials in all recorded content.

 

[Nole Lou]

Here's the other thing... the savings over cable is really pretty negligible, considering dealing with all the wonkiness and differing DVR/VOD/timeshifting issues.

While I was comparing all this, I just decided to take a spin over to Comcast just to see how it compares. I'm paying $59 for broadband, and looking at adding a $45 streaming package.

So I go over to Comcast...their price (not promotional, no contract) for the same internet speed, plus 140 channels (which includes all locals, and the Viacom channels that are missing everywhere)...$104. HOWEVER...where they get you, and I can't believe they're still doing this...

HD Access fee = $10
DVR Fee = $10
Additional Room = $6

And that's before taxes and regulatory fees, of which I assume there are plenty. The thing is, everyone switching to one of these services, really isn't rejecting paying for programming. Especially considering how many fewer channels are included it's really not a deal, and it's a full embrace of the bundling concept everyone claims is killing the TV industry.

What is really driving it is the nonsense and unnecessary fees the cable companies tack on. The ability to pay one reasonable price, and be able to watch in any room where you plug a $30 Roku or FireTV stick, as well as on your phone anywhere you are...that's the revolution here.

I laugh at the concept (promoted by the cable industry) that consumers are bolting cable in mass over ESPN being $8 of a cable bill. Yet not a peep about $15 a month for the grand privilege of watching TV in your bedroom.

People are leaving cable, but it's not about $8 for ESPN. ESPN gets their cut on every one of these streaming packages. People picking up streaming packages are rejecting cable company practices, not paying for programming.

There are indeed people leaving cable completely because they don't need that kind of TV...they can live on Netflix and video games. That's definitely a disruption and everyone's going to take a haircut. But there's no indication that TV package users are on their way to zero, or that the cost of ESPN carriage is the driver.

 

[dmm5157]

Here's the other thing... the savings over cable is really pretty negligible, considering dealing with all the wonkiness and differing DVR/VOD/timeshifting issues.

While I was comparing all this, I just decided to take a spin over to Comcast just to see how it compares. I'm paying $59 for broadband, and looking at adding a $45 streaming package.

So I go over to Comcast...their price (not promotional, no contract) for the same internet speed, plus 140 channels (which includes all locals, and the Viacom channels that are missing everywhere)...$104. HOWEVER...where they get you, and I can't believe they're still doing this...

HD Access fee = $10
DVR Fee = $10
Additional Room = $6

And that's before taxes and regulatory fees, of which I assume there are plenty. The thing is, everyone switching to one of these services, really isn't rejecting paying for programming. Especially considering how many fewer channels are included it's really not a deal, and it's a full embrace of the bundling concept everyone claims is killing the TV industry.

What is really driving it is the nonsense and unnecessary fees the cable companies tack on. The ability to pay one reasonable price, and be able to watch in any room where you plug a $30 Roku or FireTV stick, as well as on your phone anywhere you are...that's the revolution here.

I laugh at the concept (promoted by the cable industry) that consumers are bolting cable in mass over ESPN being $8 of a cable bill. Yet not a peep about $15 a month for the grand privilege of watching TV in your bedroom.

People are leaving cable, but it's not about $8 for ESPN. ESPN gets their cut on every one of these streaming packages. People picking up streaming packages are rejecting cable company practices, not paying for programming.

There are indeed people leaving cable completely because they don't need that kind of TV...they can live on Netflix and video games. That's definitely a disruption and everyone's going to take a haircut. But there's no indication that TV package users are on their way to zero, or that the cost of ESPN carriage is the driver.

@Nole Lou you're spot on about the nickel and diming from cable companies.

My internet cost breakdown for Xfinity Blast Plus Bundle (105 Mbps + 100 basic TV channels) is as follows:

• Base fee: $95 but I presently have a $20/mo promotional discount that expires ... ?
• Internet modem rental: $10
• Service Protection Plan: $6 (This is worth it, have had 2 modems replaced in past 2 years due to lightning damage)
• Broadcast TV Fee: $7
• Various other fees and taxes: $6
• Total bill: $104

I could get a cable box for free, which I have declined as I doubt I'd need it until maybe football season. I would want to add an HD DVR, which adds $10/mo for HD TV Fee and $20/mo for HD DVR (non HD DVR service box is $10/mo but is worthless without DVR).

Checking Xfinity website now and I see there are internet + streaming TV deals that are much less than I'm paying now. The internet speed offered in those bundles is much lower, which I will never go for. Especially with streaming live video.


Having to check all these deals to keep cost down is not worth the effort. Right now I don't worry about the constant circus and I have no complaints about tv-watching experience.

 

[Nole Lou]

@Nole Lou you're spot on about the nickel and diming from cable companies.

My internet cost breakdown for Xfinity Blast Plus Bundle (105 Mbps + 100 basic TV channels) is as follows:

• Base fee: $95 but I presently have a $20/mo promotional discount that expires ... ?
• Internet modem rental: $10
• Service Protection Plan: $6 (This is worth it, have had 2 modems replaced in past 2 years due to lightning damage)
• Broadcast TV Fee: $7
• Various other fees and taxes: $6
• Total bill: $104

I could get a cable box for free, which I have declined as I doubt I'd need it until maybe football season. I would want to add an HD DVR, which adds $10/mo for HD TV Fee and $20/mo for HD DVR (non HD DVR service box is $10/mo but is worthless without DVR).

Checking Xfinity website now and I see there are internet + streaming TV deals that are much less than I'm paying now. The internet speed offered in those bundles is much lower, which I will never go for. Especially with streaming live video.

Having to check all these deals to keep cost down is not worth the effort. Right now I don't worry about the constant circus and I have no complaints about tv-watching experience.

Yep. That's why the idea that "everyone" is going to leave cable for these streaming options is absurd. All the levels of cord-cutting only appeal to certain people. You need to be tech saavy - when your Youtube TV isn't working, it's not like you're calling up Youtube or Google. You've got to be willing to work it out on your own.

What you're getting with these programs is a SMALL savings, and more freedom/control. It's a real pain in the ass to switch from DirectTV to Comcast, etc, and to say nothing of finding yourselves in multi-year contracts. It sucks to be on a two year deal with Dish when they drop a channel, or DTV rolls out 4K for example. The ability to bounce from one to the other based on my needs or what develops is attractive, being able to walk away at any moment. I enjoy tinkering and new technologies, so it works for me.

Probably the biggest thing is that my wife and daughters don't watch virtually any TV. Wife approval factor doesn't come into play. If that was an issue...I'd probably still be on cable.

 

[dmm5157]

Yep. That's why the idea that "everyone" is going to leave cable for these streaming options is absurd. All the levels of cord-cutting only appeal to certain people. You need to be tech saavy - when your Youtube TV isn't working, it's not like you're calling up Youtube or Google. You've got to be willing to work it out on your own.

What you're getting with these programs is a SMALL savings, and more freedom/control. It's a real pain in the ass to switch from DirectTV to Comcast, etc, and to say nothing of finding yourselves in multi-year contracts. It sucks to be on a two year deal with Dish when they drop a channel, or DTV rolls out 4K for example. The ability to bounce from one to the other based on my needs or what develops is attractive, being able to walk away at any moment. I enjoy tinkering and new technologies, so it works for me.

Probably the biggest thing is that my wife and daughters don't watch virtually any TV. Wife approval factor doesn't come into play. If that was an issue...I'd probably still be on cable.

My wife has been adaptive with PS Vue. One remote for all functions means she can easily change channels, find her shows, etc. Same goes for when kiddos want to watch TV in one of the other rooms. Easy enough as the interface is mostly the same (outside of Roku). The cordless TV options are very appealing, so makes sense when traveling, moving TV from room to room if needed, watching TV on phone, etc. Very flexible.


Now that I have a 4K TV, I think I'd rather have 4K TV abilities without having to worry about using up my data plan. So far, I don't see a bump in data usage going to 4K Netflix access and such. I would, however, if TV somehow bumped up quality.


Still in the learning curve of this process and seems like every month there is a change in either the service, the options or a new competitor entering the field. It's hard to keep up at this point, this thread certainly helps.

 

[MIKE_G]

Last night was the second night using YouTube TV. I watched a show that I had recorded about 20 minutes after the show started. I was able to scrub through the breaks. I don't know how it is if you pull it up after it airs. I'll have to check that out to see if they replace it with the on demand version. I used the :15 second jump ahead to shuttle through commercials, which is an admittedly painful method. You can drag the play point, but that's a total crapshoot. I am getting kind of anxious to try using it on a newer Chromecast just to see what the difference in performance is, but it would be pretty stupid to pay for a month of service two days into my free trial just to get one. I'm hoping they launch a Roku app before then, but that's wishful thinking.

 

[Nole Lou]

Last night was the second night using YouTube TV. I watched a show that I had recorded about 20 minutes after the show started. I was able to scrub through the breaks. I don't know how it is if you pull it up after it airs. I'll have to check that out to see if they replace it with the on demand version. I used the :15 second jump ahead to shuttle through commercials, which is an admittedly painful method. You can drag the play point, but that's a total crapshoot. I am getting kind of anxious to try using it on a newer Chromecast just to see what the difference in performance is, but it would be pretty stupid to pay for a month of service two days into my free trial just to get one. I'm hoping they launch a Roku app before then, but that's wishful thinking.

Good feedback. From what I've been reading there is sort of a backdoor with a section called "recently recorded", and if you launch from there, you can FF commercials. But if you go to it in the standard "My Shows" area you get reverted to the VOD with commercials. Once it drops off that recent list, then you can only get the VOD version. I don't know if that's an back door they'll eventually close, or if it will remain, but that would be good at least for the things that you get to relatively quickly.

I don't have the service, so I might not be straight on with the terminology.

 

[NoleGrad83]

Does anyone know if there are any interaction issues between a Firestick used in one room with a Firebox used in another room?

 

[MIKE_G]

Does anyone know if there are any interaction issues between a Firestick used in one room with a Firebox used in another room?

Not sure what you mean by interaction issues. I don't have either device, so are you talking specifically about those devices, or just having multiple devices to access Vue or another streaming service? I can speak to what I've used for PS Vue. I have a Roku TV in my living room and a Roku 3 in another room. There is no conflict, although it is probably pretty rare that both tv's are in use and using Vue at the same time. I have used Chromecast as well. I never had any conflict. You can use up to five devices, as long as two of them are not both PS4's.

 

[dmm5157]

Does anyone know if there are any interaction issues between a Firestick used in one room with a Firebox used in another room?

You talking about remotes? The remotes for the devices are the same but get paired with a singular device. So one remote will only work with one device unless you manually pair it to a new device. That shouldn't be an issue.

Otherwise, as Mike_G stated above, the two devices will work without issue as independent devices.

 

[ericram]

Does anyone use PlayOn? I signed up for it several years ago with a lifetime subscription and it requires a PC to run it through the Roku. I never really used it but they just announced that they are adding a cloud DVR to their service. I thought I would look into it a bit more.

I ended up getting a small remote for my PS4 so I don't have to use a controller to operate it. It works quite a bit better than the controller does. I am having some issue with the PS4 crashing while watching Vue. Everything is updated as to the most recent software update. Not sure what the issue is. I do like the guide and the ability to see what I am fast forwarding through.

 

[NoleGrad83]

MikeG and dmm, I think I have my answer and it stemmed from using two of the same PlayStation devices to access Vue. The actual issue comes when you log in to the PlayStation device, whether it be two PS3's or two PS4's, the second one logged in with the same ID will log out the first one.

If I can use a Firebox with a Firestick with no issues then I can solve problems for the upcoming football season. I think you both helped with the problem. Thanks.

 

[MIKE_G]

MikeG and dmm, I think I have my answer and it stemmed from using two of the same PlayStation devices to access Vue. The actual issue comes when you log in to the PlayStation device, whether it be two PS3's or two PS4's, the second one logged in with the same ID will log out the first one.

If I can use a Firebox with a Firestick with no issues then I can solve problems for the upcoming football season. I think you both helped with the problem. Thanks.

Yes, from my understanding, it's just the PS gaming consoles that you can't have multiples in use at the same time. Any other combo of devices up to five can be streamed simultaneously.

 

[MIKE_G]

Actually, by all accounts the free Chromecast is the standard, not the Ultra. Unfortunate.

If you were interested in checking out Directv Now, Best Buy offers a free month of service with the purchase of a Chromecast Ultra for $69. Same goes for a couple other compatible devices. I suppose if you timed it right you could drop your current tv service and start your free Directv Now trial and in essence get a 50% discount on a device you were interested in anyway. When that month is over, you could sign up for the Youtube TV trial and already have the opitmal device to gauge it's performance. A little complicated, but you would have a good feel for the different services while only spending a net $35 for two months of tv service. Plus, you'd have the device you had your eye on to keep.

 

[Nole Lou]

Does anyone use PlayOn? I signed up for it several years ago with a lifetime subscription and it requires a PC to run it through the Roku. I never really used it but they just announced that they are adding a cloud DVR to their service. I thought I would look into it a bit more.

I ended up getting a small remote for my PS4 so I don't have to use a controller to operate it. It works quite a bit better than the controller does. I am having some issue with the PS4 crashing while watching Vue. Everything is updated as to the most recent software update. Not sure what the issue is. I do like the guide and the ability to see what I am fast forwarding through.

Yeah I was an early lifetime adopter of Playon back in the day, back when they were all about sending web content to your TV through your devices via DLNA. For a time, that was a really slick product filling a niche.

To me, it's pretty much been made obsolete by smart products with dedicated apps, and Kodi and other media center programs. I haven't had a real use for it in years.

I know they've pivoted their model to being all about recording streams, but that just doesn't really hold much interest for me. I just don't see the purpose of recording stuff that's already on demand. Especially on the cloud...I could kind of see it if you were downloading on devices you were taking on the road to save data, but what's the point of downloading a Netflix or Hulu program to the cloud and pulling it from there when you could just watch it from the site.

I guess it's about people getting things recorded before they cycle off, but I can't imagine having THAT much TV to watch that I couldn't get to things while they were available. How do people ever catch up?

That said, I keep an eye on it from time to time. If they ever master scheduling and recording live event streams like WatchESPN games, or other streams that you can point it to, then I'll be interested again. Right now, I guess if you manually pull up the stream and record it, it works, but I'm not really interested until I can schedule it to record an upcoming live stream.

 

[Nole Lou]

If you were interested in checking out Directv Now, Best Buy offers a free month of service with the purchase of a Chromecast Ultra for $69. Same goes for a couple other compatible devices. I suppose if you timed it right you could drop your current tv service and start your free Directv Now trial and in essence get a 50% discount on a device you were interested in anyway. When that month is over, you could sign up for the Youtube TV trial and already have the opitmal device to gauge it's performance. A little complicated, but you would have a good feel for the different services while only spending a net $35 for two months of tv service. Plus, you'd have the device you had your eye on to keep.

Yeah, I saw that. I think I would have pulled the trigger to give it a try, but I'm going to wait until they go live with DVR before I use my free trial, I think. Hopefully they'll still have a similar Chromecast deal.

I have to say I like Hulu TV pretty well so far. We'll see how it performs during football season.

 

[bigloum]

There is preseason NFL tonight on my local ABC. I logged on to Vue to watch it and could not. It gave me a message that basically boiled down to, "we don't have permission to stream this on Vue." I'm in NC. Anyone able to watch the game on the ABC channel on any streaming service?

 

[MIKE_G]

There is preseason NFL tonight on my local ABC. I logged on to Vue to watch it and could not. It gave me a message that basically boiled down to, "we don't have permission to stream this on Vue." I'm in NC. Anyone able to watch the game on the ABC channel on any streaming service?

Is it the Panthers-Texans game? It's on NFL Network for me in Atlanta.

 

[dmm5157]

Is it the Panthers-Texans game? It's on NFL Network for me in Atlanta.

Same here

 

[OsceolaNole]

@Nole Lou you're spot on about the nickel and diming from cable companies.

My internet cost breakdown for Xfinity Blast Plus Bundle (105 Mbps + 100 basic TV channels) is as follows:

• Base fee: $95 but I presently have a $20/mo promotional discount that expires ... ?
• Internet modem rental: $10
• Service Protection Plan: $6 (This is worth it, have had 2 modems replaced in past 2 years due to lightning damage)
• Broadcast TV Fee: $7
• Various other fees and taxes: $6
• Total bill: $104

I could get a cable box for free, which I have declined as I doubt I'd need it until maybe football season. I would want to add an HD DVR, which adds $10/mo for HD TV Fee and $20/mo for HD DVR (non HD DVR service box is $10/mo but is worthless without DVR).

Checking Xfinity website now and I see there are internet + streaming TV deals that are much less than I'm paying now. The internet speed offered in those bundles is much lower, which I will never go for. Especially with streaming live video.


Having to check all these deals to keep cost down is not worth the effort. Right now I don't worry about the constant circus and I have no complaints about tv-watching experience.

You'll come out way ahead if you purchase your own modem. Get one of those Arris Surfboard modems for Comcast and start saving money after 6 months. If you're going to change providers frequently it may not make sense.

My total Comcast bill after taxes is a flat $60 a month for 300mb. Locked for 3 years.

I then have DIRECTV (5 TVs) but the discounts when you pair it with cell phone service make it palatable. HBO, ChoicePlus package, maybe $75 a month?

I pit DTV and Comcast against each other every year to get discounts. The key is not to consolidate.

 

[MIKE_G]

There is preseason NFL tonight on my local ABC. I logged on to Vue to watch it and could not. It gave me a message that basically boiled down to, "we don't have permission to stream this on Vue." I'm in NC. Anyone able to watch the game on the ABC channel on any streaming service?

I'm guessing, but it might be that since it was a local affiliate showing the game in your market only, they did not allow it to be streamed. Probably has something to do with mobile restrictions. If you had an antenna, you would have been able to watch it. This doesn't happen during the regular season because the games are broadcast by the NFL via their network agreements. Pre-season games are often picked up by a local affiliate that otherwise doesn't have anything to do with the NFL network contract. In Atlanta, the Falcons' preseason games or usually on a CW affiliate. So you were doubly-screwed because the NFL Network was blacked out due to your local affiliate broadcasting the game, and by PS Vue (or any streaming service) not having the right to stream it.

 

[dmm5157]

You'll come out way ahead if you purchase your own modem. Get one of those Arris Surfboard modems for Comcast and start saving money after 6 months. If you're going to change providers frequently it may not make sense.

My total Comcast bill after taxes is a flat $60 a month for 300mb. Locked for 3 years.

I then have DIRECTV (5 TVs) but the discounts when you pair it with cell phone service make it palatable. HBO, ChoicePlus package, maybe $75 a month?

I pit DTV and Comcast against each other every year to get discounts. The key is not to consolidate.

300 MB a month? That your data limit?

Cheapest high-speed internet option I see via Comcast is 75 Mbps is $55/mo without fees/taxes. Not sure how you got $60/mo after taxes and fees unless you went with 25Mbps speed or lower speed package.

We watch more streaming content (on-demand content, Netflix, Amazon, etc) than we watch TV, so having high-speed internet is more important than the TV channels.


I've owned my own modem in the past, they seem to go out once a year. I'll have to look into buying my own again.

 

[OsceolaNole]

300 MB a month? That your data limit?

Cheapest high-speed internet option I see via Comcast is 75 Mbps is $55/mo without fees/taxes. Not sure how you got $60/mo after taxes and fees unless you went with 25Mbps speed or lower speed package.

We watch more streaming content (on-demand content, Netflix, Amazon, etc) than we watch TV, so having high-speed internet is more important than the TV channels.


I've owned my own modem in the past, they seem to go out once a year. I'll have to look into buying my own again.

Yeah, sorry. 300Mbps down with no data limit.

I took a screen grab of my bill but found it too much trouble to host the image. Extreme 300 Internet / 36 month term / $39.95 service discount / unlimited data. AT&T Fiber is also in my area (they dug up my front yard last year) and I think I used that promo to negotiate. Find the current new customer promo and start from there.

The deals are out there, good luck!

 

[dmm5157]

Yeah, sorry. 300Mbps down with no data limit.

I took a screen grab of my bill but found it too much trouble to host the image. Extreme 300 Internet / 36 month term / $39.95 service discount / unlimited data. AT&T Fiber is also in my area (they dug up my front yard last year) and I think I used that promo to negotiate. Find the current new customer promo and start from there.

The deals are out there, good luck!

May be different when we move, but there are no choices in Tallahassee. For fast speed, Comcast is only option and it's pricey. Cheaper option is Century Link and it's very slow.

There is no 300 Mbps option in Tallahassee, and sure as hell not for $40/mo.

 

[VeroNole99]

I had DirectTV and was paying $170 a month for 2 TVS. I just couldn't justify spending that much with only watching 10 out of 300 channels on a regular basis so I cut the cord completely. I also have Comcast internet for $45 a month for 25mbs. I have never gone over my data limit. That's a total of $215 a month for cable and Internet. No more.

Bought 2 firesticks $80 and antenna for local stations in HD from Amazon $75. I used DirectTV's cables that were already ran to my TVs.
After the investment of the firesticks and antenna my monthly cost are:

Sling TV $25 a month ( add $10 during football season for sports package ).
Netflix $11
Comcast Internet $45 for 25mbs(works for me)
Kodi Free
Antenna HD Free ( ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC)
YouTube Free
Monthly total of $81 for Internet and TV. ($91 during football season)
Savings of about $130 a month for me cutting the cord and I can watch TV when it's raining unlike when I had direct tv.

 

[ericram]

I know there is another thread on this, but feel this best fits here.

Playstation Vue just added CBS Sports Network. For those of us that are college football fans this is a win.
I still am not happy with the DVR as it just doesn't save some shows not matter what I do. Those on CBS are the main ones. Also trying to watch Fear the Walking Dead, on My Shows later, it only pauses for 4-5 minutes and that's it. Hopefully it improves.

 

[NYCNole]

Sunday Ticket fake cancel last week turned my DTV bill into $101 per month which includes HBO & NFL Ticket with Choice Plus package. Windstream $50 per month including taxes for 100 Mbps speed as Spectrum stole tons of customers with new promos.

$151 for high speed, NFL & HBO....I'll take that over switching to Hulu, Firesticks etc....

 

[Nole Lou]

Sunday Ticket fake cancel last week turned my DTV bill into $101 per month which includes HBO & NFL Ticket with Choice Plus package. Windstream $50 per month including taxes for 100 Mbps speed as Spectrum stole tons of customers with new promos.

$151 for high speed, NFL & HBO....I'll take that over switching to Hulu, Firesticks etc....

Yep, there's nothing wrong with that, if it suits your needs. It will be a long time before cable cutting is right for everyone. In many cases the savings are much less than people expect, just depends on everyone's situation and what they value. There's something to be said for everything in one place and a proper DVR.

And there's something to be said for staying a free agent, controlling your setup, saving a few bucks and not playing the cancellation dance.

I haven't had cable in probably 4-5 years, and even I don't think it's a no-brainer for everyone. Some of the Dish deals particularly are particularly attractive. But with our viewing habits we can save a few bucks, and I'm a bit of a hobbyist in this space...I like messing around with different services and devices.

 

[dmm5157]

I know there is another thread on this, but feel this best fits here.

Playstation Vue just added CBS Sports Network. For those of us that are college football fans this is a win.
I still am not happy with the DVR as it just doesn't save some shows not matter what I do. Those on CBS are the main ones. Also trying to watch Fear the Walking Dead, on My Shows later, it only pauses for 4-5 minutes and that's it. Hopefully it improves.

The reason for the CBS thing is due to CBS trying to push their own app/service for their content.

It's annoying, but thankfully for me I don't watch much content on their station.

 

[nynole1]

Sunday Ticket fake cancel last week turned my DTV bill into $101 per month which includes HBO & NFL Ticket with Choice Plus package. Windstream $50 per month including taxes for 100 Mbps speed as Spectrum stole tons of customers with new promos.

$151 for high speed, NFL & HBO....I'll take that over switching to Hulu, Firesticks etc....

My current DirectTV bill is $105 after tax and includes two boxes, premier package and sports pack.

 

[dmm5157]

Yep, there's nothing wrong with that, if it suits your needs. It will be a long time before cable cutting is right for everyone. In many cases the savings are much less than people expect, just depends on everyone's situation and what they value. There's something to be said for everything in one place and a proper DVR.

And there's something to be said for staying a free agent, controlling your setup, saving a few bucks and not playing the cancellation dance.

I haven't had cable in probably 4-5 years, and even I don't think it's a no-brainer for everyone. Some of the Dish deals particularly are particularly attractive. But with our viewing habits we can save a few bucks, and I'm a bit of a hobbyist in this space...I like messing around with different services and devices.

Yep, I'll take $65/mo for the max package (HBO + Showtime) from Playstation vue after tax (no tax, fee is what it is) and $10/mo for sports package during NFL season for Redzone.

For a while, I had Comcast for $100 with cable + internet w/ HBO, but after 12 months, jumped to $150, then 6 months later up to $200. I detest Comcast, so not worth the time/effort to make that work cost-wise. Looking forward to moving away from comcast-only area soon.

 

[louclassic85]

YouTube TV just launched in my market. I'll probably give it a try this weekend. I'm using Vue currently and have been for months. My complaints are minimal.

 

[MIKE_G]

YouTube TV just launched in my market. I'll probably give it a try this weekend. I'm using Vue currently and have been for months. My complaints are minimal.

I liked YouTube TV. For $35, it's great for sports fans. They need to make it to more devices. Although I must admit, the phone app was actually pretty smooth for casting to TV. Much better than PS Vue's phone app. But I'd still prefer to use my Roku than phone. So far it's the only streaming service I could see myself leaving ps Vue for.

 

[Nole Lou]

I liked YouTube TV. For $35, it's great for sports fans. They need to make it to more devices. Although I must admit, the phone app was actually pretty smooth for casting to TV. Much better than PS Vue's phone app. But I'd still prefer to use my Roku than phone. So far it's the only streaming service I could see myself leaving ps Vue for.

I've never really taken to streaming, I always prefer an on-screen interface, but I'm very slowly coming around to it. I bought a cheap second TV to have two games up during football season, and my only connection to that is a chromecast. So streaming games to that one, I am starting to appreciate it a little bit, compared to on my main TV, say exiting out of the ESPN app, switching to the Hulu or Fox Sports app, and starting up another game. I've always thought I could never go stream-only, but it might grow on me enough.

 

[BelemNole]

I've never really taken to streaming, I always prefer an on-screen interface, but I'm very slowly coming around to it. I bought a cheap second TV to have two games up during football season, and my only connection to that is a chromecast. So streaming games to that one, I am starting to appreciate it a little bit, compared to on my main TV, say exiting out of the ESPN app, switching to the Hulu or Fox Sports app, and starting up another game. I've always thought I could never go stream-only, but it might grow on me enough.

With most of these there is an on-screen interface. I never cast to the TV from my phone.

 

[louclassic85]

I liked YouTube TV. For $35, it's great for sports fans. They need to make it to more devices. Although I must admit, the phone app was actually pretty smooth for casting to TV. Much better than PS Vue's phone app. But I'd still prefer to use my Roku than phone. So far it's the only streaming service I could see myself leaving ps Vue for.

Do you know if/when they would add a Fire TV app? That would be the only way I'd be able to do YouTube TV.

By the way, this is bigloum, the OP.